1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to carriers which move through pneumatic tube systems usually between customer and teller terminal stations, in performing banking services. More particularly, the invention relates to a captive carrier construction with at least a single pair of doors pivotally mounted on the sides of the carrier, and in which each door closes approximately one-half of a carrier access opening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pneumatic tube carrier systems have been used advantageously for conducting banking services because of the rapidity with which banking transaction media (such as deposit and withdrawal components which may include coins, paper money, checks, deposit slips and other similar articles) may be moved between terminals such as from a teller's terminal or station within a bank to a customer station or terminal at the other end of the pneumatic tube.
It is preferred that a captive carrier be used in many installations, particularly to prevent a customer from removing the carrier from the terminal. Otherwise, the customer may fail to replace the carrier after removal, and thus may render the equipment temporarily inoperative. Furthermore, a non-captive carrier requires additional handling and manipulation by a customer which is inconvenient, since the customer also is handling the particular banking transaction materials.
A pneumatic tube usually terminates in an upright position at each terminal with the carrier being conveyed in either an upright or sideways position by delivery drawer means to a customer. A captive carrier moving through the tube, thus usually presents one carrier end uppermost at one station and the other carrier end uppermost at the other station, unless twists or additional bends are formed in the tube. Many of these problems have been eliminated by prior carriers which have been developed having one or two doors which close the carrier access openings, in which each door has hinge means at both ends. Thus, the swinging edge of the door will always swing toward and away from the uppermost end of the carrier regardless of the position of the carrier upon arrival at the terminal. Examples of such a construction are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,875, 3,080,136, 3,189,297, 3,231,218 and 3,237,884.
These carrier constructions have proved satisfactory for many installations. However, certain types of terminals and carrier delivery mechanisms will rotate the carrier endwise or lengthwise 60.degree., 90.degree. or 120.degree.. These terminals may require the teller upon return of the carrier, to reach over or around the single door when the door is pivoted to open position. Likewise, the door, of the end mounted single door carrier types in most constructions pivots open through an approximate 60.degree. angle or a maximum 90.degree. angle. This relatively limited angular opening movement may make it inconvenient to remove large transaction materials from the payload compartment of the carrier in some situations, and permits only limited viewing of the compartment.
Thus, the need has existed for a captive pneumatic carrier construction which can be used for nearly all known types of terminal installations eliminating the need of forming twists or unnecessary bends in the connecting pneumatic tubes heretofore required to insure proper positioning of the carrier, and which provides easy access to the transaction material contained in the carrier upon opening of the carrier door or doors at either the teller and customer terminal stations.